Uninterrupted
by CanaanAlphardForever
Summary: What if Shizuma never came to get Nagisa, and she and Amane were allowed to continue on with their moment? A short story following an altercation of episode 12. AmanexNagisa.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: So, after coming across a picture of Nagisa and Amane (as in the cover image for this fic) which is a screen shot of the scene, I got this idea in my head. What if Shizuma never showed up? And so this little story was born. I actually love NagisaxShizuma and AmanexHikari, but I find AmanexNagisa strangely sexy. Who else agrees? I could totally see them having an illicit affair. Now, I have never read an AmaneNagisa story, so I think this is the first one. Am I right? Hmm… anyway, read on, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I strangely do ^^_

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Uninterrupted:

Gravity pulled her down following her slip, causing her body to tip backwards and land on the hard ground. Pain shot out through the back of her skull where it had impacted with the hard soil, blinding her vision for a few seconds.

"Ow." Nagisa exclaimed, wincing at the dull pain still throbbing in the back of her head.

A shadow blocked the sun from her face, startling her out of her pain.

"Are you okay?" Amane asked in concern.

Nagisa opened one eye and smiled in embarrassment. "Yes, somewhat…" She felt completely stupid for having fallen like that. It had literally happened without her needing to move. Surely Amane would think her stupid or something. "I'm sorry…" Nagisa said and lifted her hands.

Amane suddenly bent down, bringing her face closer to the red head's and causing the girl to utter a sound of confusion and lower her arms.

"Why is it," Amane spoke, "all of Miator's students that I know are like birds in a cage."

Nagisa swallowed hard, not knowing why Amane was staring at her with such a deep, searching gaze, or why her own heart was reacting by fluttering wildly in her chest. Didn't her heart only react like this to Shizuma-sama?

"Except for you." Amane said, causing Nagisa's heart to jolt.

_Why is Amane-san saying this?_ The red head wondered in panic. She felt her throat go dry, staring into those gorgeous brown orbs. Nagisa had never noticed how handsome and charming Amane really was. Why did she have to notice all of that now, of all times, with such painful clarity? Why when the gorgeous horse rider was mere inches from her face?

"You really are an amazing girl." Still speaking in that wistful, husky voice, Amane made Nagisa's heart flutter again. The red head's mind was buzzing with too many thoughts and her cheeks burnt a bright red.

"A… Amane-san?" Nagisa uttered distractedly, unable to look away from the horse rider's piercing gaze.

Amane inched the slightest bit closer. "I never noticed how intriguing you are." The horse rider's own heart was thumping unevenly in her chest. She herself didn't understand why she was saying or doing all of this, but she felt compelled to since the moment she had looked into Nagisa's innocent scarlet eyes.

"I never noticed…" She uttered in a breathy whisper, and then shocked them both when she closed the distance and touched her lips to Nagisa's. The red head didn't pull away, which reduced Amane's pure terror at what she had done, though she didn't pull away.

She waited, and only when a minute had passed with neither of them moving, Amane slowly moved her lips against Nagisa's.

It was an odd sensation, kissing such soft, foreign lips while doing it upside down. It was odd, but it felt amazing.

This time Amane felt her face flush the second Nagisa responded, and their lips began moving together.

"Amane-san…" Nagisa breathed against the horse rider's lips, causing a pleasant shiver to travel down the taller girl's back. Her name said so softly and in such a breathy manner threw all remaining bits of control from Amane's mind. She had no idea why she was doing this, all she knew was that it felt achingly good and she never wanted to stop.

Amane grew bold and hesitantly ran her tongue along Nagisa's bottom lip. It tasted sweet, like strawberries, and felt warm and as soft as silk. Surprisingly, Nagisa opened her mouth and allowed Amane's tongue entrance.

The bluenette took the opportunity and explored the red head's mouth with flourish. Feeling equally as bold, Nagisa allowed her tongue to brush against Amane's, causing pleasure filled gasps to escape both of their mouths.

Nagisa had never expected to enjoy the kiss this much, and felt her head swim at the intoxicating sensations and the amazing taste of Amane's tongue.

A hand reached out, trembling and warm, to caress Nagisa's cheek. The younger girl sighed at the soft touch and covered Amane's hand with her own.

All too soon the blissful moment was broken when Amane's horse, Star Bright, sneezed loudly and kicked at the ground as if he was upset.

Amane jerked back, suddenly realizing the full implications of what she had just done. She covered her mouth with her hand and stared at Nagisa in shock.

"N-Nagisa…" Amane whispered, fearing that the girl would realize the same thing and react badly. Like slap her, or run off crying, or worse, find Shizuma and tell her what had happened.

"Amane-san… I…"

"I have to go…" Amane interrupted, getting up and dusting herself off.

"Oh…" Nagisa didn't even bother to hide the disappointment from her voice. Why was she feeling so sad at Amane having to leave?

"I… I'll see you around?" Amane asked nervously without looking at the red head she had been making out with only moments before.

"I g-guess…" Nagisa responded, and watched with sadness as the blue haired girl jumped onto her horse's back and rode off in a hurry.

Why was she suddenly so depressed that Amane had ridden off without looking back?

Amane swallowed hard when she had rounded a corner and disappeared from Nagisa's sight.

When she stopped and jumped off of Star Bright's back, she looked up at the sky and spoke softly to no one in particular. "Why did I never notice…?"

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_That was… so awesome 0_o did you like it? Well then, review, even if you didn't! My sister suggested that I carry this little plot bunny on. Would people like to see a longer AmanexNagisa story? Let me know and I might just write a few more chapters. If no one voices their want for more, and if I don't feel the desire to continue, this will stay as a oneshot. Thank you for reading ^^_


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: So, great news for you all, I will be turning this into a mini-story. After getting multiple reviews asking for more, and after talking it out with my sister, I decided to relent. I have the whole plot planned out already and I know exactly where this story is going, all I lack is the inspiration to write T-T this chapter has been completed for a while already, but I never posted it earlier because it's meant to be longer. But, as it is, I can't seem to get into the mood to write the rest, so I decided to post what I have so far. It's at least something. If I get some good reviews then maybe that will give me the desire to finish the next chapter. I'm in such a chilled mood though, so I doubt I'll update that soon. I apologise for the long wait, I hope this chapter makes up for it. Please read, review and let me know what you think ^^_

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Nagisa watched in a daze as Amane rode off atop her beautiful stallion. She sighed softly to herself and placed a hand against her chest above her still racing heart.

_What was that? _Nagisa wondered in confusion. Amane had kissed her, that much she understood, but why had she done it? And then why had she fled directly after?

"Astraea hill will be the death of me." Nagisa muttered and headed back to Shizuma and her dreaded French lessons, thinking about how all of the older girls loved to molest her.

When she arrived at the room and opened the door, she found Shizuma poised with her hand paused mid-air aimed for the door handle.

"Oh, Nagisa." Shizuma said with mild surprise. "I was just on my way to fetch you."

"Sh-Shizuma-sama."

"Where did you wonder off to?" Shizuma asked,

"I… just took a walk." Nagisa thought back to her moment with Amane and blushed furiously. This didn't escape Shizuma's watchful eyes, and the silver haired beauty raised an eyebrow at the red head, but instead of mentioning it she turned and ushered Nagisa to the table.

"Ready to finish your lesson?" The Etoile asked.

"Hai, Shizuma-sama."

They returned to their earlier seats and continued with Nagisa's French tutoring. They shared very short conversation and then carried on with Shizuma trying her best to get a reluctant Nagisa to understand.

"Nagisa?" Shizuma asked after a while had passed and she noticed Nagisa spacing out. "What are you writing?"

"Eh?" Nagisa broke out of her thoughts and looked down with surprise. She flushed and turned red, and then quickly erased Amane's name from all over the paper. Shizuma raised an eyebrow again and frowned.

"You aren't concentrating." The Etoile pointed out.

"Sumimasen, Shizuma-sama." Nagisa apologised.

"Well," Shizuma stood and collected her books. "I think that's enough for today. I hope this lesson helped you, Nagisa. Goodnight." Shizuma nodded and then headed for the door.

"Uh, goodnight Shizuma-sama!" Nagisa called after the Etoile and sighed in relief after the door had closed and she was left alone.

It was finally over. She was free from French for the moment.

Nagisa blinked. What should she do now?

The red head glanced out of the window. It was already night time. The sky had darkened considerably, and silver twinkling stars shone brightly in the darkness.

"I need some fresh air." Nagisa said to no one and decided to head out of the dorm and take a stroll out in the cool, fresh air. She allowed her mind to wonder as her legs carried her to someplace only they knew. Her mind was so busy that she hardly noticed where she was walking or what path she had taken.

Nagisa sighed. Her mind was only filled with one particular subject, and that was Amane. She kept on replaying the scene from earlier that day, and couldn't help her constant blush or the sudden race in her heart when she remembered the taste of Amane's sweet kiss. The horse rider had the softest lips Nagisa had ever felt. Well, they were the only lips she had ever felt, since Amane had taken her first kiss.

Still, Nagisa had imagined what her first kiss would have been like, and she was more than impressed with how wonderful it had felt despite how fast and sudden it had happened. She knew she should have been even a little bit upset at the Prince of Spica for stealing her first kiss like that, but the more Nagisa thought about it the more she liked it. There was even a part of her that wished it had never ended.

What was she starting to feel for the charming prince? Could she possibly be growing a crush on the older girl, despite her obvious feelings for the Etoile?

Nagisa paused in her distracted strolling and thought for a moment. She realized that she had been so consumed with thoughts of Amane that she had hardly reacted to Shizuma like she had since she stumbled into the gorgeous girl. Could it be?

A loud boom in the distance broke Nagisa out of her troubled thoughts and back to the present. She looked up and gazed at the horizon. Something shot up into the sky and then exploded, spraying colourful lights in a cloud of brilliance. It was fireworks.

"Sugoi." Nagisa exclaimed softly and walked up to the gate, realizing quickly that she had ended up walking to the pool, and gripped the cold bars with both of her hands as she looked up at the dazzling fireworks. She remembered Shizuma mentioning something about a festival. It was such a shame that they weren't able to go.

"Nagisa-kun?" The voice made Nagisa spin around and gasp in surprise.

"Amane-san!" Nagisa exclaimed. She hadn't even noticed the upperclassmen sitting by the pool edge when she had walked up to the gate.

Amane smiled gently at the red head. She wore the same clothes from earlier, with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and her pants rolled up to her knees. One leg rested on the edge of the concrete while the other dangled lazily in the pool water. A gentle breeze blew past, picking Amane's blue hair up and fluttering it about her face before it settled down again into her usual attractively messy style.

"Did you come to watch the fireworks?" Amane asked in her gentle, husky voice. Nagisa swallowed and walked over to the person that had been plaguing her thoughts all afternoon. She had wanted to run, but now that Amane had started conversation it would be insanely rude to just suddenly turn and run away.

"N-no, actually. I was just taking a walk and then I noticed the fireworks. I didn't really know that there was a festival tonight."

"Ah." Amane nodded and turned her eyes back to the starry horizon where fireworks were still bursting nosily in the sky.

"Ano, Amane-san, are you here to watch the fireworks too?" The red head tentatively asked, still standing nervously by Amane's side.

"I guess."

"But why all the way over here, at Miator?"

Amane chuckled. "Well," she sheepishly scratched her cheek. "I came here with intentions of apologising to you for this afternoon, but when I saw you I chickened out and found myself by the pool," another round of fireworks crackled in the distance, bathing them both in the barest of colourful light. "When the fireworks started I decided to just relax and enjoy the product of my cowardice." Amane replied smoothly and gave Nagisa another gentle smile.

Nagisa shifted uncomfortably and then decided to sit down next to the horse rider. It felt weird standing while the older girl was sitting.

"A-apologise for what?" Nagisa stuttered in question, knowing what Amane meant but wanting to be sure anyway. Amane remained silent for a moment and simply looked at Nagisa with softened eyes.

Nagisa took the silence as a negative response and swiftly stood. "Sumimasen, Amane-san. I won't bother you any further." She turned to leave but then, like she had earlier that day, she slipped and started falling backwards.

"Nagisa-kun!" Amane cried out and reached out for the younger girls arm. She managed to warp her fingers around Nagisa's wrist, but due to her lack of a proper position, ended up falling in with Nagisa.

They splashed into the pool with shock. Cold water rushed in around them and chilled their skin, but Amane could hardly feel it. She had her eyes open and fixed on Nagisa's adorable face. Her body felt warm, and after Amane pulled Nagisa closer and wrapped her arm around her lower back, successfully pressing them even further together, her body warmed even more.

Nagisa opened her eyes in alarm and looked into Amane's gorgeous brown orbs. She felt transfixed, much like she did when looking into the Etoile's eyes. But this time Nagisa welcomed the feeling and allowed it to consume her.

Amane couldn't control herself even if she had wanted to. She leaned forward and pulled Nagisa even closer against her, intertwined her fingers with Nagisa's, and then gently kissed her on the lips. The water seemed to heat up around them as their hearts pounded frantically. Nagisa could barely concentrate on anything other than Amane's incredibly soft and sweet lips, and the hard thumping of her heart against her ribs.

_I did it again,_ Amane thought,_ I kissed her again. Damnit. Why do my lips betray me? It's like I have no control over myself with Nagisa, but God, this feels so right._

Nagisa leaned further into the older girl, enjoying the warmth of her firm body. _Amane-san…_ Nagisa thought dazedly.

Amane pulled back and Nagisa's eyes fluttered open in disappointed. The blue haired upperclassmen took hold of the red head's wrist once more and then, due to the need for air, swam back up to the surface.

The horse rider pulled herself out of the pool and helped Nagisa out too. Once out in the air again and on the ground, they lay down on the cool concrete and took deep, laboured breaths.

Amane's heart was still doing cartwheels, and she kept berating herself for kissing Nagisa again. She had come here to apologise for doing just that, and then she went and did it again.

"Nagisa, what are you doing to me?" Amane whispered softly to herself, too soft for Nagisa to hear.

"Amane-san," Nagisa sat up and spoke, not looking Amane in the eye. "I am so sorry for pulling you into the pool with me." She nervously fidgeted with the edge of her now soaking wet shirt.

"It's alright, Nagisa-kun. It was just an accident."

Nagisa shook her head. "No, it was because of my stupidity. I seem to be able to fall over without any reason at all. Please forgive me." Nagisa bowed down with her forehead touching the ground, all the while hoping that Amane would forgive her clumsiness.

Amane sighed. "Nagisa-kun, it's alright, really. Sit up." When the red head made no move to sit up from her position, Amane crawled over to her side and pulled her into a hug. "I forgive you Nagisa-kun, you don't need to apologise anymore."

Nagisa stiffened when Amane had wrapped her arms around her, but after hearing her soothingly husky voice reassure her, she relaxed and sighed in relief.

"Thank you, Amane-san. I will try not to fall from now on, or at least when you're not around."

"It's okay, if you fall I'll catch you. Or like tonight, I'll just fall with you." Amane said with a smile, and smiled even brighter when Nagisa giggled.

"You're too nice, Amane-san." Nagisa pulled back and looked into the bluenette's eyes. "But thank you for being nice to me anyway."

"How can I not be nice to you? I doubt anyone could ever treat you badly, since you are so helplessly adorable."

Nagisa blushed bright red. "A-Amane-san…"

"Anyway," Amane stood and helped Nagisa to her feet. She took a step back and looked over the shorter girl's head. "I should be getting back to Spica." She made a move to walk past Nagisa but a hand shot out and grabbed a hold of her sleeve. "Nagisa-kun?" Amane turned back to the blushing girl.

"W-why don't you come to my room instead?" Nagisa uttered nervously, head bowed and eyes downcast. Amane's eyebrow arched in question, though Nagisa couldn't see it. "I mean, it's already past curfew and I don't want you getting into trouble with the Sister because of me." Finally the red head raised her head and looked into gentle brown eyes. "You're wet, because of me, and I'd hate for you to get a cold on your walk back to Spica. My room is closer. Tamao-chan is away so… there's a spare bed." It took all of Nagisa's courage not to bow her head again, but she forced herself to keep her eyes locked onto Amane's as she waited for the Prince of Spica to think it over.

Amane considered the suggestion, and then smiled. "Okay, Nagisa-kun. That does sound better. Could I possibly shower as well?"

Nagisa nodded vigorously while blushing even harder. "Of course, Amane-san!"

With that the two walked back to Nagisa's room. The red head still had a hold of Amane's sleeve and the taller girl made no move to break free. Throughout the short journey there Nagisa's blush only seemed to worsen, and Amane's gentle smile only grew.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Sorry for the eternally long wait, I've been stuck on my other story and it's all that's been occupying my head -_- luckily I got this done, and now I present to you the next chapter! ^^

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They arrived at Nagisa's room and the red head opened the door, allowed Amane through and then shut it behind her. She leaned against the door with her hands behind her back and exhaled a nervous breath. "A-Amane-san?"

"Yes?" Amane stopped her look over of the room and turned to the red head.

"Th-the bathroom is over there." Nagisa pointed. "You can shower and I'll find something for you to wear."

"Thank you." Amane walked up to Nagisa, making the younger girl's heart jump, took hold of her hand, bent down and then gingerly placed a soft kiss against the back of her hand. Amane said nothing as she straightened and gave Nagisa a smile, and then she turned and headed into the bathroom, softly closing the door behind her.

Nagisa sighed in relief and resisted the urge to slide down to the floor. Her knees felt weak, her legs were shaking, and her heart was still fluttering in her chest.

The sound of the shower starting pulled Nagisa's attention towards the bathroom door. Soft pattering of water filtered through the door and helped to calm Nagisa's racing heart. She pulled her gaze from the door and straightened, and headed over to her cupboard where she diligently searched until she found a t-shirt that was too big for her, right at the back of the cupboard where she had abandoned it in the belief that it would never be of any use to her, and a pair of boxers. They had an elastic waistband so Nagisa didn't have to worry about the boxers not fitting Amane around the hips, though it would be slightly shorter than decency required. Nagisa imagined what her blue haired senpai would look like in them and blushed as red as her hair.

_I shouldn't think about Amane-san like that, what's wrong with me? _Nagisa shook her head fiercely to both clear her head of questionable thoughts and to get rid of her blush.

"Nagisa-kun?"

Nagisa cried out in surprise and whirled around, bringing a hand up to her chest. "A-Amane-san!" the red head swallowed hard as she was now face to face with a near naked Amane only covered by a towel. The taller girl smiled gently but raised an eyebrow at Nagisa's surprise and apparent blush.

"Clothes?" Amane enquired and shifted her gaze to Nagisa's clenched fist.

"Oh, right!" Nagisa swallowed again and gave the shirt and boxers to Amane. "I found these. The boxers might be a bit short but that's all I have for you to wear." She fidgeted nervously and focused intensely on a crack in the wall.

Amane slightly titled her head to the side and watched Nagisa's adorable nervousness with her usual gentle stare. "Nagisa-kun?" Nagisa looked up and fixed her eyes to Amane's. "Thank you, really. I really appreciate your help." Amane inclined her head towards the still slightly foggy bathroom, "should I change in there?"

All Nagisa could do to reply was nod. Amane offered another small smile and quickly disappeared into the bathroom. A moment later she returned, now clothed and watched Nagisa in amusement as her underclassman avoided her gaze and fidgeted nervously from her spot in the middle of the room.

"Are you alright?"

Nagisa nodded and looked up, but regretted it. She was greeted with the breath taking sight of Amane's long, long legs, her clean, smooth skin and dishevelled damp blue hair. The shirt she wore clung to her body, outlining her defined abdomen muscles and full breasts. Nagisa didn't realize she was staring until Amane cleared her throat and walked up to her.

"Which bed will I be sleeping in?" Amane asked and placed a hand on Nagisa's shoulder, but quickly removed it and questioned herself on why she had done it. She realized that Nagisa was charmed by her to some extent, and she didn't want to do something to overwhelm the already nervous girl, but she couldn't seem to control herself around the red head.

"Oh, uh, you will sleep here." Nagisa pointed at the bed to the left of the room and offered Amane a nervous smile.

"Alright. Goodnight, Nagisa-kun. I hope you sleep well." Amane gave her a nod and headed over to the bed. She pulled the covers back and climbed in. The bluenette turned to face the wall and closed her eyes.

Nagisa sighed softly to herself and quickly changed into her sleeping gown, and then shut the light off and climbed into her own bed. "Goodnight, Amane-san." Nagisa called out and turned to face the wall too. Her eyes slid shut and before she knew it she was fast asleep.

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Amane was woken from a pleasant dream by soft whimpering coming from the opposite side in the room. At first the noise roused her from her sleep and seemed to stop, making Amane hold her breath and strain her ears to hear if there really was a noise, and then she blinked her eyes open and sat up in the bed. "Nagisa-kun?" Amane asked softly, her voice still sleepy and more husky than usual. The sound of rustling answered Amane's call and then another fearful cry.

The older girl jumped out of the bed and hurried over to Nagisa's side, her heart beating erratically in her chest. It was still dark so Amane guessed it was early morning. "Nagisa-kun?" Amane reached out and firmly gripped Nagisa's shoulder, making the red head's eyes snap open. She squeaked in surprise but then calmed down, realizing that she had been dreaming, and blinked up at Amane in confusion.

"Amane-san?"

"You were having a nightmare, I think."

"I was?"

"By the sounds of your cries I'm guessing it was a nightmare." Nagisa's body relaxed and she took a few deep breaths. Her heart was still pounding, her body felt damp with sweat and the fabric of her nightgown clung to her skin. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah…" Nagisa stared up at the ceiling. "Sorry for waking you, Amane-san."

"No need to apologise." Amane released her grip and brushed a lock of hair off of Nagisa's forehead. "At least you're alright." She said as she stood and turned.

"Wait!" Nagisa called and grabbed Amane's hand. She felt a blush cover her face at the tingle she felt where her skin touched Amane's, and her hand was so soft and warm, though when Amane's fingers closed around hers, her hand felt firm and strong.

"Yes, Nagisa-kun? Are you sure you're alright?" Amane turned back around to look at Nagisa's face, though she could barely see it in the dark, and didn't let go of the younger girl's hand.

"N-no… I mean yes…" Nagisa sighed, "could you maybe… sleep with me?" Amane's eyebrow skyrocketed at Nagisa's choice of words.

"Do you mean…?"

"N-not like that!" Nagisa sat up and let Amane's hand go, making the bluenette chuckle. "I-I mean… I did have a nightmare and I can't go back to sleep if I'm a-alone… Tamao normally sleeps next to me if this happens." The red head explained.

"I see." Amane smiled to herself. "So you want me to sleep next to you?"

"Yes." Nagisa bowed her head in embarrassment. She felt retarded for asking, but she really couldn't go back to sleep after having a nightmare like that and she couldn't risk sneaking into Amane's bed when the horse rider fell asleep.

"As you wish." Amane said charmingly and climbed in after Nagisa scooted over to give her some space. They both snuggled into the blanket and then an awkward silence fell over them.

"Nagisa-kun?"

"Y-yes?" Nagisa swallowed. The bed wasn't big at all and she was practically pressed up against Amane's back. Her nightgown had slid up her body and she felt the back of Amane's upper thigh graze against her leg. The skin was smooth and soft, and so warm; it sent a pleasant tingle through Nagisa's body.

"If I may ask, what did you dream of?" Amane was tempted to turn around but knew they would literally end up face to face. It was tempting, but Nagisa would be under stress and Amane didn't want to do anything to upset her more. She realized then that she already cared for her underclassman a lot, and hated to see her upset or distressed.

"Oh… it's kind of embarrassing."

"Then you don't have to tell me, Nagisa-kun, I understand. Goodnight." Amane closed her eyes.

"No!" Nagisa exclaimed a bit too loudly. "I… I don't mind telling you. Just don't laugh, okay?" Nagisa felt Amane nod and then took a deep breath. "W-well, I had a dream about clowns"

"Clowns?"

"I have a deathly fear of clowns. It's stupid, I know, but I suffered some trauma when I was smaller and I haven't gotten over it." Amane didn't respond. "It's really stupid, isn't it?" Nagisa laughed at herself in an attempt to make herself feel a little less stupid. She was sure Amane was quiet because she was either holding back her laughter or regretting her acceptance of Nagisa's offer to sleep over.

Suddenly the bed shifted and Amane turned around, bringing their faces much too close. "It isn't stupid at all, Nagisa-kun. Did you really think I would have laughed?" Nagisa looked away from Amane's gentle eyes in guilt and fiddled with the hem of her sleepwear. Now that their positions had changed their naked thighs were touching and it was making Nagisa both uncomfortable and very, for lack of a better word, _hot_.

Amane hardly took notice of their physical contact as she was focusing solely on getting Nagisa to understand that she cared and would never mock her. "To make it even," Amane said softly, "I'll tell you a little secret of mine."

"Really?"

Amane grinned. "I used to be terrified of horses."

"But you… and Star Bright… and…" Nagisa was utterly confused. She couldn't picture Spica's star horse rider having a fear of horses. There was also the fact that Amane's best friend seemed to be the horse she raced with, as she spent a lot of her free time either training with him or grooming and feeding him.

"I know, it's confusing, right?" Amane chuckled. "I also suffered some trauma as a kid, when I was about 5 years old."

After a moment of thoughtful silence Nagisa finally built her courage enough to ask what was on her mind. "What happened?"

Amane didn't even hesitate in retelling the tale of so many years ago. "My father owns a horse ranch and it was the first time he was taking me to meet one of the stallions. He would always tell me about them and I was eager to start learning how to ride, little did I know what Kuro had in store for me." Amane sighed in amusement as the memories flooded into her mind.

"Kuro?"

"That's the name of my father's horse. A big, beautiful stallion as black as midnight."

"So what did Kuro do to you to give you a fear of horses?" Nagisa asked softly, immensely enjoying the gentle rumble of Amane's chest as she spoke –Nagisa had noticed that somewhere in the last few minutes she had rested a hand against the horse rider's chest– and the warm huskiness of her voice.

"My father took me into the stall with Kuro and warned me not to try anything when I asked him if I could ride him. At that time I was quite cocky, even or a 5 year old, and thought I was all big and grown up so I managed to climb onto Kuro's back while my father was getting some hay for him."

"I can see where this is going…" Nagisa gently gripped the front of Amane's shirt in nervousness.

Amane covered Nagisa's hand with her own, gave it a squeeze and then continued. "So before my father realized it I had mounted Kuro's back, saddleless and all. That horse was not happy at all that his owner's brat climbed on top of him without permission so he shot out of the stable." Nagisa gasped, making Amane chuckle lightly. "He ran around wildly for a moment and then ran back into the stable where he kicked me off of his back, but that's not all."

"And then?" Nagisa's grip tightened.

"That part was what gave me a fear of horses. Kuro could have killed me and I realized that when he galloped away in rage. The worst part was when I landed."

"Did you get injured?"

"Oh, not at all. I had quite a soft landing, actually." Amane blew out a long breath and felt slightly embarrassed. She felt a bit hesitant at ending the story. "Now it's your turn not to laugh."

"I won't laugh, I swear!"

Amane grinned, knowing that Nagisa would probably end up laughing anyway. "Kuro had kicked me into a still warm pile of horse… uh…"

"Amane-san…"

"Horse poo." Amane finally admitted and hid her face in her hand. Her cheeks felt hot and she swore that she was blushing. Telling the story never made her this embarrassed because she found it quite hilarious, but it was Nagisa she was telling it to now, which made it all the more personal.

"That's horrible!" Nagisa exclaimed in a weird voice.

Amane uncovered her face and gave Nagisa a suspicious stare. The red head looked at her seriously for a moment, and then slowly her cheeks puffed up until she looked like a chipmunk.

"Nagisa-kun… you said you wouldn't laugh…" Amane whined playfully and gave one of Nagisa's swollen cheeks a poke. That did it and Nagisa burst into a fit of giggles. She just couldn't help it.

"I-I'm s-sorry Amane-san!" Nagisa apologises.

Amane sighed. "It's alright. I used to laugh just as hard."

Eventually Nagisa's laughter died down and she could speak properly again. "What did your dad do to you for that?"

"He did nothing. He was content with letting me wallow in the humiliation and grossness of being covered in horse poo. After that I didn't go near a horse until I was 10." Nagisa giggled again. "Oi, you're laughing at my expense."

"I'm sorry but it's just so funny. I'm glad you didn't get hurt or anything but… I've never heard of something like that before." Amane voiced an agreement and shifted onto her back. A pleasant smile crept onto her face as she gazed up at the dark ceiling. "I still haven't told you why I'm scared of clowns." Nagisa spoke up

"I know."

"Do you want to know?"

Amane turned her head to look into Nagisa's eyes. "Honestly? Yes I do. I'm really curious, but I will completely understand if you prefer not to."

Nagisa shook her head. "I really want to tell you."

Amane pulled Nagisa against her, since it was just much more comfortable that way, and rested her arm around her and her hand against her hip. Nagisa gasped slightly in surprise and rested her head against Amane's shoulder, having no other choice. There was no way she could escape even if she had wanted to since Amane had a very strong arm and it didn't feel it was going to move anytime soon.

Both girls took a few minutes to calm their hearts and chase their blushes away. The contact wasn't all that bad, and in fact, Amane really enjoyed feeling the warm brush of air against her neck, and Nagisa really enjoyed the warmth and security she felt laying against Amane's chest.

"I was 6 years old and it was my birthday. My parents had organized this party for me with all of my friends, and for some reason my uncle thought it would be funny to hide under my bed, dressed as a clown, until I woke up. When I did and I climbed out of bed he grabbed my ankle and half crawled out while doing this creepy laugh. I've never screamed so loud in my life before and I ran all the way into my parents' room. My uncle was smart enough to escape through my bedroom window before my parents found him.

"Later that day at my party the actual clown arrived and I wouldn't leave my parents side. I was wrapped around my father's leg until they paid the man and apologised to him for making him leave just after he arrived. It was only last year that my uncle finally told me that it had been him."

Amane was completely still and silent after Nagisa had finished speaking. The red head thought that Amane was speechless because of her own stupidity, but when she leaned up to look at her face she saw that Amane was holding her breath.

"Amane-san?" Amane opened her eyes and made a soft, gasping noise. It only took a second for Nagisa to realize that Amane was internally laughing. "Amane-saaaaan." Nagisa whined with a pout. Amane couldn't take it anymore and finally laughed until her sides hurt.

"Nagisa-kun, I apologise for laughing even though I said I wouldn't, but I just couldn't help it. The thought of a miniature you running through the house screaming like that is just too amusing." Nagisa pouted even deeper.

Amane calmed down and glanced at her pouting bed mate. The scene before her was so cute that the bluenette could not stop herself when she leaned down and grazed those pouting lips with her own. Nagisa froze and so did Amane. They remained that way for a few seconds, breathing the same air and hearts pounding, until Amane cleared her throat and moved away.

"It's really late, we should go back to sleep." The taller of the two suggested. _Damnit, Nagisa has no idea how she affects me. What the hell is wrong with me?_

"Oh, okay. Yeah, we should sleep." _She almost k-kissed me… again… and I wanted her to._

"Goodnight Nagisa-kun." _I need to get a hold of myself._

"Goodnight Amane-san." _Maybe I should let go for just a bit, the next time, if there is a next time, that Amane-san tries to kiss me…_

* * *

Extra Note: The name Kuro I used from a CANAAN oneshot of mine where I used an OC called Kuro, the idea and the character given to me by a friend Reji-chan. Just thought I'd mention that. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I feel crap about how slow this story is progressing. I could finish this in one night if I sit down and actually WRITE. Sigh. Oh well, thank you for reading ^^


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Hey guys! All I'll say is sorry for the long wait, now you can get to reading ^^ hope your wait was worth it, so enjoy!

* * *

Amane woke slowly, and once she regained some of her senses, she cracked an eye open and glanced around the room. She suddenly remembered everything that had happened the previous night and looked down at Nagisa curled up next to her, partly on top of her chest. The blue haired girl smiled softly and then gently extracted herself from the red head and slipped out of the bed.

"Amane-san?" Nagisa mumbled sleepily and snuggled up in the blanket.

"Sorry, Nagisa-kun, but I should leave now before everyone gets back." Amane said as she pulled her clothes on from the previous night and neatly folded the borrowed clothes she had worn to bed. Her shirt and pants were a bit crumpled, but it was better than walking back to Spica in tiny boxers. "Thank you for letting me stay the night." The bluenette crouched down by Nagisa and placed a soft kiss against her forehead. Nagisa shifted slightly but made no move to respond, so Amane assumed she was still asleep. Instead of waking her to say goodbye she simply headed for the door and opened it. With one last glance towards the smaller girl on the bed, Amane stepped out of the room and gently closed it behind her.

"Ohtori-san?" Someone spoke up in surprise, startling Amane and making her stand up straight.

"Oh… uh… hi…"

"What a surprise to see you here, senpai." The girl said with a suspicious glare.

"Oh… yeah," Amane swallowed, "what's your name?"

"Suzumi Tamao." The girl responded and flicked her eyes from Amane to the door to her and Nagisa's room. A group of girls rounded the corner, talking excitedly together and Amane panicked.

"I apologise, Suzumi-san, but I have to leave now." Amane didn't even wait for a response before she turned and bolted down the passage and disappeared around the corner.

Tamao raised an eyebrow at her senpai and wondered what the heck her friend had been doing in the room with her so early in the morning. Sighing to herself, Tamao let herself in the room and went over to the still sleeping Nagisa. Like always she couldn't resist and caressed Nagisa's pink cheek. "Nagisa-chan."

"Mm, Amane-san?" Nagisa slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Why did you get out of bed? I thought you- Tamao-chan!" Nagisa stopped herself mid-sentence after finally opening her eyes and seeing her friend. "Tamao-chan, what a surprise! Hehe."

"Don't give me that!" Tamao exclaimed. "What was Ohtori-san doing here, Nagisa-chan?"

"Oh, uh… she fell in the pool last night so I let her sleep over." Nagisa nervously scratched her cheek and avoided looking into her friend's eyes.

"That makes no sense. What was she doing by the pool last night? Why were you there?"

"Tamao-chan, it's a long story, can I explain some other time? I'm really hungry so let's go and get breakfast."

Tamao eyed Nagisa for a moment and then relented. "Alright, let's get ready." Together they dressed and once they were clad in their black Miator dresses, they hurried out of the room and down to the cafeteria. Before they could get there, however, they bumped into someone.

"Sumimasen!" Nagisa exclaimed hurriedly and grabbed the person, worried that she had lost her balance.

"Nagisa." The red head looked up at the sound of the familiar voice and gasped softly when she was met with glowing green eyes. Long, silver hair cascaded down the girl's shoulders, making this none other than Shizuma, the Etoile. Shizuma grabbed Nagisa's wrist and pulled the girl against her body. "Did you get to see the fireworks last night?" She asked softly so that no one else could hear.

Nagisa blushed at the memory that flashed in her mind and nodded. "I did, Etoile-sama."

"I only wish that I could have watched them with you, but it was impervious that I attend to some of my Etoile duties." Shizuma looked up and caught Myuki's glare. "I must go now to do the Morning Prayer." Shizuma released Nagisa and stepped away from her. She gave the red head a smile and then walked off with the members of the student council into the cafeteria.

Nagisa breathed a sigh of relief. She felt nothing more than relieved that the confrontation was over. Shizuma was nice and all, but she was too touchy and Nagisa now found the invasion of her personal space creepy.

_Maybe I would have liked being so close to Etoile-sama before, but after everything with Amane, I don't feel anything strange for her anymore. I'm still scared that all of these older girls will end up eating me or something._ Nagisa shook her head and looked to her friend.

Tamao had her arms crossed over her chest and was glaring hotly at the back of Shizuma's head. "We better go before we're too late." Tamao said and pulled Nagisa into the room with her, not breaking her glare at all.

When they were seated and Shizuma stood, preparing to pray, Nagisa waited for it to start and then glanced around. She found her object of interest in the far off corner of the room, and felt her heart skip a beat when gentle, brown eyes locked with her gaze, seemingly having been searching for her too.

Amane smiled and nodded slightly in greeting, and then bowed her head and closed her eyes for the last bit of the prayer. Nagisa couldn't care less about the words Shizuma was saying as she stared intensely at Amane's handsome face. She really hadn't noticed before the previous day just how gorgeous Amane really was. Her blue hair fell over her eyes and just touched her chin as she had her head tilted forward. Her lips were still pulled up in a small smile and her shoulders were relaxed.

The prayer ended and Nagisa was woken from her daydream when Tamao shook her by the shoulder.

"Nagisa-chan, what are you looking at?" Nagisa quickly looked in front of her before her friend could follow her line of sight and realize that she had been ogling the horse rider.

_Was I really ogling Amane-san, though? I mean… I'm sure a lot of girls do. Amane really is gorgeous and no one is oblivious to it._ Nagisa sighed and distractedly played with the food on her plate. _Everyone feels like this towards her, right? I can't be falling in love…_ Nagisa snuck a look at Amane and felt her heart thump hard in her chest. _I can't be…._

"Nagisa-chan! Are you alright?" Tamao glomped Nagisa's side and looked at her worriedly.

"Yes Tamao-chan, why do you ask?"

Tamao stared at her for a minute, "well you don't normally play around with your food like that…"

Nagisa looked down and realized it was true. She quickly started shovelling food into her mouth and then laughed a bit forcefully after she had managed to swallow it all down. "Hehe, sorry Tamao-chan, I'm just worried about French and all. I really need to pass it but it's so difficult." Nagisa rubbed the back of her head and smiled.

"Oh! If that's what you were worried about then why didn't you tell me? Is the Etoile-sama helping you at all?"

Nagisa nodded her head. "She is. I'm sort of getting a grasp on the language. I just need to study hard."

Tamao gave Nagisa a warm hug. "I believe in you Nagisa chan."

"Thanks Tamao-chan."

They remained silent for the next few minutes as Tamao finished eating and then they hurried to class. The day just seemed to fly by, and before they knew it their last class for the day ended and the class slowly readied themselves to leave.

"Nagisa-chan!" Tamao bounced over to her friend and took her hands in her own. "Would you like to take a walk with me?"

"Uh, sorry Tamao-chan, but I can't." Nagisa offered an apologetic smile.

Tamao pouted. "Why not?"

"I, uh… I want to find Amane-san and talk to her about something." Nagisa blushed slightly. Just mentioning the older girl's name made her heart flutter.

"About?"

Nagisa sighed. She didn't even know what she wanted to talk to Amane about, but she wanted to talk to her nonetheless. Despite how absolutely nervous she was about having to approach the horse rider, she was willing to do it. She guessed she would come up with a good conversation starter once she managed to find the bluenette, and hopefully her nervousness wouldn't make her mumble like an idiot.

"What's going on?" Tamao voiced, breaking Nagisa out of her thoughts, and both girls noticed that their classmates were talking excitedly and some were even squealing in delight.

"Hi, is Aoi Nagisa in your class?" Nagisa recognised the voice, and after a rather powerful heart jolt, hurried over to the door and paused.

"Amane-san?" Nagisa questioned. She blinked a few times to see if what she was seeing wasn't a hallucination.

"Nagisa-kun." Amane sighed and leaned forward. She grabbed Nagisa's wrist and then hurried out of the class and down the hallway until the loud chatter from the other girls silenced. "Feeeew."

They had their backs pressed to the wall and remained like that until Amane made double sure that it was clear and then gently took Nagisa's hand and led her out of the building.

"Amane-san?"

"Nagisa-kun, I apologise for dragging you off like that, but I went to fetch you by your class and I was mobbed by those girls."

"It's okay, Amane-san."

"Amane. Just call me Amane." Amane smiled down at the red head.

"A-Amane." Nagisa said and flushed. "Then you can call me Nagisa."

"Alright then, Nagisa." Amane said with a soft smile and released the girl's hand. They walked through the school for a few short moments until Nagisa broke the silence.

"Amane-sa… I mean Amane, is everything okay? Why did you come to my class?" Nagisa asked curiously.

"Oh," Amane looked away nervously and rubbed the back of her head, "I just wanted to say sorry for leaving without a word this morning. I seem to be apologising a lot to you, huh?" The bluenette lowered her arm and frowned.

"You really don't need to apologise to me, Amane." Nagisa said quickly and then blushed when Amane made eye contact with her and smiled. It was a small, grateful smile, but it made Nagisa's heart flutter all the same.

"Would you like to spend the afternoon with me?" The Prince of Spica questioned after a moment of comfortable silence. Nagisa nodded furiously and noticed that they were approaching the stables where Star Bright was kept.

They entered the area in silence and Nagisa watched Amane stride over to her beautiful horse and place a hand over his nose. He blew a long breath out and shook his head gently, and then nudged against the hand. It was like he had just greeted his rider.

"Do you mind if I tend to him quick? We can go somewhere else if you want." Amane asked.

"No, this is fine. Your horse is beautiful, and you look so calm when you're with him."

Amane smiled. "Thanks, Nagisa." She went over to the supplies and retrieved a brush, and then returned to her horse's side and started brushing his strong, muscled back. Star Bright sneezed and shifted under the attention, but he didn't sound displeased at all.

"I bumped into Suzumi-san when I was leaving your room." Amane started, hoping to open a line of conversation because she really wanted to talk to Nagisa and get to know her better. It might not have been the best topic to start off with, but it was all the horse rider could think of to say.

"Oh! So that's why Tamao-chan was so suspicious this morning." Nagisa said with a finger to her chin. Her face took on a concentrated expression as she imagined the scene. Amane's amused chuckle broke her out of her thoughts, however.

"I like that look you get when you're thinking." Amane said. "It's cute."

Nagisa blushed hotly at the compliment and nervously scuffed her shoe against the hard ground. "Th-thank you, Amane." She said softly and avoided looking at the taller girl again in case her blush decided to deepen.

"Anyway, I hope she wasn't mad at you for me sneaking out like that."

"Well, she wasn't really mad, she was just curious, I guess."

"Then I'm glad."

"Amane?"

The tall, gorgeous horse rider paused in her brushing and glanced over at Nagisa. "Mm?"

"I…" Nagisa paused, unsure of what she had wanted to say. "Uh, could we hang out like this tomorrow too?" She blurted out next and then blushed.

Amane's eyes softened as she stopped the brushing and returned the object to its earlier place. She walked back over to Nagisa and held a hand out for her. "Would you like to take a walk?" She offered.

Nagisa smiled brightly, a bit breathless, and nodded as she took the hand.

They left the stables and walked together, not headed towards a specific location, and remained silent until one of them spoke up.

"So how is school going?" Amane asked, once more starting the conversation.

"Oh! It's alright." Nagisa answered. "Though I'm struggling in French." She sheepishly scratched her chin. "I'm struggling to catch up with my class."

Amane nodded. "You didn't learn French until coming here?"

"Yeah, unfortunately. I've had to start from the very beginning and I'm trying my best to learn as much as I can, but it's so hard." Nagisa groaned in frustration, forgetting her shyness and covered her face with her hands. "I wish there was no such thing as French!"

Amane chuckled. "If you would like, I could help you with that. I'm fluent in French so I hardly need to study to maintain my good grades." She offered.

"Really?" Nagisa perked up, already latching onto the prospect of spending more time with the blue haired goddess. "Oh, but I can't." The red head countered, remembering that she had set up tutoring dates with the Etoile.

"Oh, okay." Amane tried to hide her disappointment, but cringed slightly when it came through in her voice anyway.

"Etoile-sama is kind enough to tutor me, so I'd feel bad if I ditched her. Thank you for the offer though, Amane."

Amane smiled softly, relieved that Nagisa had a legitimate reason to reject the offer. She hadn't even realized that she had been scared that Nagisa had rejected out of a want not to be with her, considering how their friendship had started.

On that note, Amane looked up and noted that they had walked to the pool at Miator, sending Amane's heart into her throat. The sudden memory flashed across her eyes, the faint softness of Nagisa's lips on her, fluttering against her skin for a second before she blinked, and shook her head, and then it all vanished.

"Nagisa," Amane reached out and gently touched Nagisa's wrist to get her attention. The red head had been intently focused on the shimmering surface of the pool, mind lost and cheeks red.

_Is she thinking about it too?_

"About…" The bluenette took a breath, pinkness slowly spreading across her cheeks, but shrugged it off and continued. "About kissing you in the water. I'm sorry about that. I don't know what came over me, and I was terrible to do that to you." Although Nagisa tried to look away, she couldn't divert her eyes with Amane staring at her with such sincerity and worry.

"No, Amane, it really is fine. Though that was my…" Nagisa paused and blushed harder. "My second kiss."

"Then the first…?" Nagisa nodded. "Nagisa, I truly am so sorry. I acted thoughtlessly and stole something precious from you, something I didn't deserve to take." Amane looked stricken, so much so that Nagisa grabbed her hand to comfort her.

"You're overreacting, Amane. It was just a kiss. Besides, it… it wasn't that bad so I really don't mind." Amane released a breath in relief.

"I promise I won't ever do that again. To be completely honest, I couldn't control myself, but I'll make sure to tame myself from now on if you want to continue being my friend."

Nagisa's stomach dropped lightly at the mention of the word friend, for some reason she couldn't fathom. Why did she feel so disappointed at that? She gave the hand still in hers a squeeze and flashed a cheerful smile. "Thank you, Amane." She said sincerely, really meaning it.

Amane blushed and looked away, rubbing the back of her neck nervously.

_Why do I feel like I'm some uncontrollable monster that needs a leash?_ Amane shuddered at the thought, inwardly admonishing herself for such a weird comparison.

"I finally found you." A strong feminine voice spoke up, startling Nagisa and Amane from their previous awkwardness.

"Shizuma-sama!" Nagisa exclaimed quickly and shot a glance at Amane. "You were looking for me?

Shizuma looked to Amane who bowed her head in respect and greeting, and then looked back to Nagisa with confusion. "You never showed up for your French tutoring. Have you been with Amane all this time?" Her voice was friendly and inquisitive, if a bit hallow, but Amane detected a heavy hint behind her words and lifted a brow. Nagisa, of course, detected nothing of the sort and simply blanched with horror and sputtered nervously.

"Sumimasen, Shizuma-sama! I was just talking to Amane. I completely forgot about French."

Shizuma smiled softly, empty, and lifted a hand to wave Nagisa's panic off. "No worries, Nagisa. I'm sure you and Ohtori-san had important things to discuss. Do you think you could break away now, to selvage the last bit of time we have for your French? Every bit of time can provide useful."

Nagisa looked to Amane, as if asking for permission. Amane sighed and smiled in amusement. Nagisa was so cute. "Of course, Etoile-sama, I apologise for stealing her away. I didn't know she had a lesson with you today. I'll be heading back to the stables now." She turned to leave but stopped when Nagisa grabbed a hold of her wrist.

"See you tomorrow?" Nagisa asked hopefully, not even thinking to hide the emotion from her eyes and voice. Amane smiled, but noticed Shizuma dip into a frown and felt her own smile falter a bit.

"Of course, Nagisa." She gave her one final gentle smile and then turned and walked back towards the stables. Shizuma stared at her back for a bit and then turned to Nagisa who had her eyes glued to Amane's retreating figure, even after her form had disappeared from view.

Shizuma felt her chest tightened and smiled sadly.

"Ready to go?" She asked and refrained from touching the red head that had turned abruptly, with those wide, innocent eyes, to give her a nod and start off towards the dorms. Shizuma watched, released a barely audible sigh, and then followed after her.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Hey guys. I just want to mention that I know this story is rushed and the feelings between Amane and Nagisa are too intense too soon, as someone pointed out, but that's the point of this. I'm rushing it because this was never meant to be a story delving into complex relationship and character development. I apologise to those seeking a complex plot. This is just fluffy and fun for those that wanted a longer story, so I decided to make it very fluffy without too much of the serious stuff for all of your better enjoyment. I hope you guys like it.

* * *

Chapter 5:

Shizuma sighed, not for the first time, and placed the pencil back down onto the table. She concluded her engrossed study of the papers Nagisa had written, brown creased in disdain.

"Nagisa, you're doing worse than yesterday. Are you concentrating?" Shizuma asked lightly, trying not to let her irritation leak into her voice. For all her teaching Nagisa just wasn't learning and an irritational part of Shizuma felt that it was the fault of her own inability to properly teach the younger girl. She did want to help her though.

"Sumimasen, Shizuma-sama, but I'm just not getting this." Nagisa sighed and thunked her head against the wooden table. She rested there with her cheek pressed to the surface. It was true that she was still struggling to grasp the concepts, but a large factor of her inability to learn anything was the thoughts that kept plaguing her mind. Amane kept interrupting her thoughts whenever she tried to focus on Shizuma's soft yet strong voice, but those words kept flying over her head.

Shizuma sighed again. "Are you finding my teaching methods difficult? Perhaps we should find a different tutor for you." Shizuma leaned back in the chair and gracefully crossed her arms over her chest while pinning Nagisa with an intense stare.

Nagisa looked away from Shizuma's dark eyes and pondered the suggestion. She ran it around in her mind, an enthusiastic solution swaying on the tip of her tongue, ready to jump out of her mouth. She kept herself from overenthusiastically exclaiming what she had in mind, though. It would surely insult and possibly hurt the older girl.

"Shizuma-sama, I am really grateful for the time you take to help me. I'm sorry that I'm struggling. I don't think there's anything wrong with how you're teaching me, but I have an idea." Shizuma's only response was a shift as she leaned forward and placed her arms on the desk. "Amane offered to help me, but I don't want to just give up on your help either. Why don't I go to her for tutoring every second day, and continue seeing you as well? I don't know, maybe I'm too stupid for you to teach. Amane will probably struggle too, but it's worth a shot."

Shizuma took a moment to think about it, and then she nodded. "That could work. For how long will you swap between our learning?"

"Until I understand French?" Nagisa sort of questioned, not really sure.

Shizuma smiled. She found Nagisa so cute. "Very well." She gathered her books and stationary and stood from the table. "I'll be seeing you on Wednesday then, Nagisa. Have a good night further."

Nagisa bid her a cheerful farewell and watched as she left and closed the door behind her. She released a long breath and smiled, stomach fluttering slightly at the knowledge that she had a chance to hang around Amane without it getting weird. Amane had expressed her intentions of friendship, and Nagisa was grateful. She wasn't very sure of what she was feeling, but determined herself to do some deep thinking and figure out what she liked and who she was. Knowing what she wanted would help too.

* * *

The next day was a sunny Tuesday at Astraea hill. After class Nagisa left Tamao at their room and made her way to the stable over at Spica. She felt both nervous and excited as she ran what she was going to say over in her head.

Nagisa fast approached the horse stable and as expected Amane stood inside beside her horse, brush in hand, running it along his muscular shoulder.

"How does that feel, Star Bright?" Amane asked softly with a loving smile. Star Bright sneezed softly and shook his head. He turned and gave Amane a gentle nudge against the shoulder with his nose. This caused the bluenette to laugh in delight and give his nose a rub. "Thought so."

"A-ano…" Nagisa approached tentatively, not wanting to ruin the sweet moment but unable to stop herself from speaking up.

Amane turned to Nagisa and her eyes softened upon noticing the familiar red hair and the blushing girl it belonged to. "Eager to hang out already, are we?" Amane asked with a smile and turned back to her horse to complete his regular grooming.

"Uh, not really. I came to a-ask a favour of you." Nagisa's hands shook slightly, her body not used to the emotional anxiety she was feeling. Amane just made her nervous, with that gentle smile and those sexy eyes that could melt any girl's heart in a matter of seconds. With that head of lushes, sexily styled blue hair and her tall, attractive figure… Nagisa shook her head and swallowed. "I want to take you up on the offer to tutor me."

"Oh?" Amane continued to smile and brushed down Star Bright's back. "What made you change your mind?"

"Shizuma-sama is getting a bit frustrated with me." Nagisa admitted with a sad pout.

Amane paused and fully turned to Nagisa. "Did she say that to you?" The gentleness in her eyes had ebbed away, leaving behind it a heavy and intense brown that made Nagisa shiver.

The red head quickly waved her hands. "No! I can just tell. She's always so nice to me and she's trying so hard to teach me but I'm too stupid to get it." Her shoulder slumped in defeat and she sniffled. "So I offered for you to teach me as well, but I probably won't get it then either."

Amane sighed and dropped the brush where it belonged. She walked over to Nagisa and put one hand on her shoulder and lifted her chin with the other. "Nagisa, you are not stupid. Please stop saying that. Please? If you want me to tutor you, then I won't hesitate to help. When do you want to start?"

Nagisa smiled. "Today? I'll come to you every second day and then see Shizuma-sama in between."

"Okay." Amane dropped her hands and went over to her horse to give him one last pet. "I'm off to help a friend with French. Be good, okay boy?" Star Bright shifted and Amane grinned.  
Alright," she turned back to Nagisa. "Let's get some understanding of French into that pretty head of yours."

* * *

"No," Amane laughed and tapped her pencil against Nagisa's head. "Like this." She took the paper from the pouting girl and corrected the sentence. Nagisa watched and then her eyes widened.

"Oh! I get it!"

"Good." Amane smiled fondly and gave Nagisa nod. "You're doing good. How has my teaching been?"

"Not that different to the way Shizuma-sama teaches, but I am sort of getting it."

Amane sighed with a sigh. "'Sort of' isn't enough. We need to get you up to date with this stuff. Would you like to do some more or would you like to take a break?" They had been sitting in the library for the last 2 hours and it was beginning to darken outside.

Nagisa wanted to stay, not to learn more about French but to spend more time with Amane. She could tell the bluenette was tired, though, so she shook her head.

"I think that's enough for today. Thank you Amane." She blushed at the smiled Amane gave her and fidgeted slightly.

"What is she doing with The Prince?" Nagisa heard a voice from somewhere to her right and lifted her head. She spotted two girls standing by one of the bookshelves, hiding behind a book and none too stealthily watching them. "Who is she anyway?"

"That's Aoi Nagisa, the transfer student."

"The one Shizuma-sama chose?"

"Yeah."

"How greedy. She's taking the Etoile _and_ The Prince."

Nagisa frowned and sunk in her seat. She blocked the rest of the girls' conversation and tried not to let what they said get to her. But she was sensitive, and unfortunately Amane had noticed her mood shift.

"Is something wrong?" Amane asked and pushed the pile of books between them to the side. "Nagisa?" She leaned over the table and gently touched the red head's cheek. Nagisa gasped softly and shot a look to the two girls who were now openly glaring.

"I… I'm fine, Amane-san!" Nagisa said hurriedly and looked away from the hatred and jealously of those girls.

Amane felt her heart clench with the added honorific at the end of her name. She thought they had established their friendship enough to use first names only, without any respectful titles at the end.

"Nagisa? Are sure?" She pressed lightly, still leaning over the desk.

Nagisa looked up to meet the horse rider's eyes and managed a barely sincere smile "I'm fine, Amane. Sorry for worrying you."

Amane wasn't convinced but inwardly sighed when only her name had been used. She nodded to herself and returned to her seat. "Would you like to hang out some more?" She asked.

Nagisa shook her head. "I've bothered you enough. I think I'll go to my room and go over the notes you helped me with." Nagisa stood up, notebook gripped to her chest, and gave Amane a deep bow. She didn't wait for the bluenette's response and simply hurried out of the library towards her dorm.

Amane could only sigh and watch the girl leave, heart slightly heavy with worry, though mostly fluttering as Amane considered her chance of becoming more than just friends with that cute red head.

* * *

As the week passed by and Nagisa switched between tutoring from Amane to Shizuma, she found her understanding for the language increasing. She could understand her French teacher in class, though not word for word. But that was progress!

And she didn't only have Amane to thank for that. Shizuma had stilled helped her a great deal and the combined efforts of both of the older girls helped Nagisa pass. She was so grateful to the both of them, enough to forgive and forget the advances and molesting they had done.

Well, Shizuma had been more of the molester, but she had toned that down a lot ever since Nagisa had started hanging out with Amane more. They didn't only hang out when learning, they also spent a great deal of their free time together, either talking as Amane tended to her horse, walking around the school or sitting in the cafeteria together.

It was wonderful; so wonderful that people had started to notice.

The first week had gone by without fault, and so had the second and third, but as a month rolled by of their continued time together, rumours and hate had spread.

Nagisa enjoyed being with Amane all the time and she was terrified of how she was feeling towards the horse rider. She felt stupid in most things but she was at least smart enough to know that she was crushing heavily, and the feelings were steadily growing.

Amane was just so gorgeous and charming and so gentle. She treated Nagisa like a princess and the red head loved it. She selfishly spent as much time with the bluenette as possible, ignoring the hate letters, glares and threats she received from Amane's and Shizuma's fangirls.

Shizuma had readily grown distant. She spent most of her time with Myuki when she wasn't pestered to perform Etoile duties. The silver head had also agreed with Nagisa that the tutoring could end, since the red head no longer needed it. There had definitely been an interest for Shizuma, but she could tell that she had already lost the red head's attention to the blue haired Prince of Spica, and that was alright. Myuki was the only person she could still trust and care about, so she decided to give up the useless chase and just spent time with her best friend, the friend she had neglected for far too long a time.

It was a Wednesday and Nagisa was walking towards the Spica stables. She swallowed and darted her eyes around nervously. There had been many times when she had been ambushed and continuously questioned by the angry fangirls.

The red head shook the worry from her mind and quickened her pace. Luckily there were no encounters and Nagisa made it in no time. She found Amane sitting on the wooden gate gazing up at the stars.

"Hey." She called out softly.

Amane turned to her and smiled. She held a hand out. "Sit next to me." When Nagisa took her hand the taller girl pulled her up next to her and helped the red head balance herself on the fence. Nagisa wobbled slightly, frightened of falling. "Just hold on to me, I won't let you fall." Amane told her softly with a gentle smile. Nagisa nodded and wrapped her hands around Amane's upper harm, biting her lip to keep from smiling.

"How is Star Bright doing?"

"He's fine." Amane answered and turned back to gazing up at the dark sky.

"Do you think he's ready?"

"Yeah, he'll do fine." There was an upcoming race that Amane had been faithfully training for. She trained with her horse early in the morning to avoid the screaming girls. Amane really hated the attention and only really liked it from one red head in particular. Nagisa woke up early to accompany Amane in her training, and even though she felt tired most of the time, it was worth it.

At the first week of this there had been a little blonde girl standing by the trees, silently watching. As some time went on the presence of the girl gradually disappeared until she stopped coming all together. Nagisa guessed it was one of Amane's stalkers, though the girl seemed serious and intense, and deeply sad.

"What are you thinking?" Amane asked suddenly, breaking Nagisa from her thoughts.

"You." Nagisa blurted out and then blushed. She had not intended to say that at all but her mind tended to wander at the worst moments and her mouth betrayed her. "Wait I-I mean u-um…" Nagisa scrambled with something to say. She felt so incredibly embarrassed.

"Sssh." Amane touched a finger to her cheek and smiled. "It's okay to be honest." Her eyes changed from gently playful to gently intense. Amane trailed her finger down Nagisa's chin and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, making Nagisa wrapped her arms around her torso to stop from falling.

Nagisa was about to apologise for grabbing her suddenly but Amane gripped her chin, gently, so softly like any movement could break her, and lifted her face. The bluenette looked deeply into Nagisa's eyes and felt her heart warm.

Over the past month her feelings had really grown and now she was sure of what she felt. She hated her dub of "Prince of Spica", but she looked at Nagisa and felt herself wanting to be the younger girl's prince. She was scared that Nagisa would reject her, but she couldn't stop from leaning down.

Amane paused, regaining her control and shook her head. "Sorry Nagi-" She was interrupted by Nagisa pulling her face down and capturing her lips.

To say that Amane was surprised was an understatement.

The horse rider's heart thumped unevenly and her stomach fluttered. Nagisa's lips tasted just like Amane remembered. They were sweet and so soft and warm. It was heaven.

Before anything could get too heated a gasp broke the passionate silence and forced Amane and Nagisa to quickly break the kiss and part.

"How could you!" A girl screamed, tears gleaming down her face and glinting in the moonlight. "How could you violate Ohtori-sama like that? To the Prince?" It was one of the fangirls who had obviously been hiding in the bushes. The girl pointed a finger, hand shaking and then turned her angry eyes to Amane. They softened slightly. "Why her?" She asked plainly, and then she sent another glare over to Nagisa and ran away.

Amane sighed heavily and ran a hand over her face. She couldn't fathom how these girls could involve themselves in her life the way they did. They afforded her no privacy whatsoever and tried to dictate what she did with her heart. It was as disturbing as it was annoying.

"I'm sorry Nagisa. Would you like to come with me to my room?" Nagisa looked in alarm. "Just to hang out!" Amane cleared up with a smile. "Nothing suspicious, I swear. I wanted to sit out here with you and watch the stars but we don't know when those crazy fangirls will come running and I don't want you to suffer their glares." She hopped down from fence and held a hand out to Nagisa. "Please?"

Nagisa swallowed. Her heart had pretty much dropped into her stomach the second that girl had ruined the moment. She felt guilty and responsible for the harassment Amane had started suffering because of their continued hanging out. For the last week Nagisa had considered telling Amane that they couldn't be friends, but then she had to go and kiss her and now she knew she loved her and she didn't want to leave.

The problems would disappear eventually, right? There was no way it could get worse than it already was.

"Okay." Nagisa took the hand and jumped down too.

Amane didn't release her hand as they walked and intertwined their fingers.

"Did that girl upset you?" Amane asked gently after they reached the building of the dorms. Nagisa quickly dropped her hand at the sight of the first student, making Amane frown sadly.

"Not really." Nagisa answered and offered a cheerful smile. It didn't reach her eyes and Amane could see it.

They remained silent as they climbed the stairs while ignoring the stares and hurriedly walked the floor to Amane's door.

"Those girls have crazy eyes." Amane commented dryly as she unlocked her door – it was locked because someone had once snuck in and stolen all of her underwear – and turned to Nagisa with a smile. When she pushed the door open she paused at the sound of swishing and looked down to see a stack of envelopes on her floor. They had been pushed under her door.

Amane sighed and bent down to pick one up. It was a black envelope with an angry red heading, seeming almost scary. More hate mail. Amane crumpled the envelope in her hand and tossed it across her room into the trash. She turned to Nagisa and felt her heart sink.

"Nagisa?" Nagisa sniffled and took a few steps back. "What's wrong?"

Nagisa shook her head, eyes glued to the number of angry letters directed at the bluenette that were caused by her. "Amane, I don't want to see you anymore." Nagisa uttered softly, feeling her legs go numb. She couldn't handle seeing Amane harassed like this and she knew that her involvemet with the bluenette was causing this.

"W-what?"

Nagisa looked up at met Amane's stricken eyes. "I don't think we'll work out as anything, not even friends. Please leave me alone from now on."

It hurt to say, it hurt more than Nagisa had imagined it would. But this had to stop and a little hurt was worth it to help the older girl with this problem, especially since Nagisa was the problem.

"Nagisa, don't… please…" Amane asked pleadingly, eyes sorrowful. "It's not your fault. I don't want you to leave."

Nagisa shook her head. "I'm leaving because I want to. I don't want anything to do with you anymore. Goodbye, Ohtori-san." Nagisa bowed quickly and left, ignoring Amane's panicked begging from behind her and the tears streaming down her face.

Others watched, but Nagisa ignored them. She returned to her dorm as fast as she could, collapsed on her bed and silently cried until she cried herself to sleep.


End file.
